Cup with attached drinking straw



Oct. 22, 1968 5. M. ROGERS CUP WITH ATTACHED DRINKING STRAW Filed Sept.23, 1966 FIG 2 FIG-7 43 INVENTOR. 5'2 GEORGE M. ROGERS ATTORNEYS UnitedStates Patent 3,406,868 CUP WITH ATTACHED DRINKING STRAW George M.Rogers, 3505 Vannest St., Middletown, Ohio 45042 Filed Sept. 23, 1966,Ser. No. 581,479 4 Claims. (Cl. 220-902) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Adrinking cup having a telescoping straw secured along one surface on theinside thereof and movable between a retracted position wherein thestraw is completely below the upper li of the cup and an extendedposition wherein it is adapted to be used. A tab is provided forwithdrawing the inner straw, and the lower end of the outer straw istapered to provide a free inlet to the straw. In another form,interleaved lips are used to interconnect the inner and outer straws,and the straws are at least partially collapsible so that the cups canbe stacked.

This invention relates to improvements in drinking vessels and the like,and particularly to a cup having a telescoping straw for use inwithdrawing liquid therefrom.

An important object of this invention is to provide an improved cup ordrinking vessel which has a built in suction tube or straw through whichthe liquid in the cup can be removed.

Another object of this invention is to provide a cup with dispensingtube of the aforesaid type wherein the dispensing tube is collapsible sothat the cups can be stacked one within another and which will allow thedispensing member to operate effectively even after the cups are storedin a stacked position for a substantial period of time.

A further object of the invention is to provide a cup with telescopingstraw of the aforesaid type wherein the straw is made of paper orplastic material which can be easily secured to the inner side wall ofthe cup, particularly to provide a straw arrangement wherein the innerstraw cannot be withdrawn accidentally from the outer straw.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved cup-strawcombination which is simple in construction and therefore dependable inoperation and inexpensive in cost, and further to provide such acombination which use cups constructed of plastic, paper, glass or othermaterials.

These and other objects of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing description, the accompanying drawings and the appendedclaims.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view partially broken away showing the cup-strawcombination in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a horizontal sectional view showing several cups stacked onewithin the other;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 1 showing anotherembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 3 but taken through theembodiment shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an exploded view showing the inner and outer tubes separated;and

FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view showing the manner in which theinner and outer sections of the FIG. 4 embodiment are interconnected.

Referring to the drawings wherein preferred embodiments of the inventionare shown, FIG. 1 illustrates the conventional drinking cup 10 which mayhave the frustoice conical or tapered side walls 11 with the flat bottomwall 12. This cup may be made of paper, plastic, metal, or substantiallyany material without departing from the scope of the invention, and itis important that they be tapered so that they may be stacked, as shownin FIG. 2.

The telescoping suction tubes 13 include an outer tube 14 madepreferably of plastic or paper and secured to the inner surface 15 ofthe side wall of the cup, as shown in FIG. 1. It can be secured in placeby suitable adhesive material and, when the cup is made of plastic, itis possible to heat seal the outer tube in place. This outer tubeextends from the upper edge 16 on the cup to a position adjacent thebottom wall 12 but the bottom thereof is tapered so that the liquid mayflow freely into the bottom opening 17 of the tube 14.

The inner tube 20, as shown in FIG. 1, reciprocates within the outertube 14 and has an outer diameter which is substantially equal to orslightly greater than the inner diameter of the outer tube so that thereis a snug fit therebetween sufficient to hold the inner tube 20 againstrelative movement with respect to the outer tube 14. The upper end 22 ofthe inner tube 20 has lip 23 extending upwardly and outwardly therefromso that this tube cannot be forced entirely into the outer tube 14 whereit would be difficult to grasp. The lip 23 also facilitates extension ofthe inner tube when necessary. The length of the tube 20 can varydepending on the distance that it is to extend above the cup. Sincethere is no means to stop complete withdrawal of the inner tube 20, itis desirable for it to be of sufficient length that in normal use itwould not be withdrawn.

Both the inner and outer tubes are made of a resilient material whichcan be folded against the inside surface 15 of the cup 10, as shown inFIG. 3, so that a plurality of cups can be stacked one inside another,as shown in FIG. 2. This stacking facilitates shipping, storage, andhandling of the cups which thus can be used in an auto matic vendingmachine of the types presently used to dispense coffee and soft drinks.However, when the cups are unstacked the tubes 14 and 20 return to theiroriginal shape so that passage is provided in the center of each for theflow of liquid therethrough in the usual manner when suction is appliedon the top end 22 of the inner straw 20.

In use, the container is filled with the liquid to be consumed, and itis merely necessary for the user to grasp the lip 23 and withdraw theinner tube 20 to the desired position. The cooperating inner and outertubes 14 and 20 thus provide means for sucking the liquid from the cup11) and the fact that the outer tube 14 extends to a point adjacent thebottom wall 12 permits substantially all of the liquid to be drawnthrough the tubes. Since the construction is relatively inexpensive, thecup can then be discarded if desired.

Another embodiment of the invention is shown in FIGS. 4-7 wherein analternate form of the outer and inner tubes 30 and 31 are disclosed.Specifically, the outer tube 30 includes a base wall 32 which can beglued or otherwise secured to the side wall 15a of the cup 10a. The tube30 also has three connecting side walls 33, 34, and 35 which form theother three walls of the square outer tube, with the flap 37 on the wall35 glued or otherwise secured to the base wall 32. Since the base wall32 is wider than the other walls, a tab 38 extends beyond the side ofthe outer tube 30 to facilitate securing this tube to the surface 15a.The inner tube 31 is also square in cross-section and has aconfiguration which is equal to or slightly greater in size than thecorresponding inner dimensions of the outer tube so that there is a snugfit therebetween to hold the inner straw 31 in position within the outertube.

The upper end 41 of the outer tube 30 has the lips 42,

43, 44 and 45 formed on each of the side surfaces 32, 33, 34 and 35,respectively, and each of these lips is deformed to extend downwardlyinto the inner passage 47 of the tube 30. Similarly, the inner tube 31has a plurality of lips 51, 52, 53 and 54 formed on the lower endthereof and they are deformed so that they are adjacent the outer sidesurfaces 55, 56, 57 and 58 of this tube. Consequently, when the innertube 31 is forced into the outer tube 30 a distance greater than thelength of the lips, the lips 51- 54 on the inner tube are forcedoutwardly by their resilience to become interleaved with the lips 42-45on the outer tube when the inner tube is withdrawn to its outermostposition, as shown in FIG. 7. Thus there is provided an inner connectionbetween the tubes 30 and 31 which prohibits separation thereof when theinner tube 31 is extended. Also, this arrangement permits a fluid tightseal between the tubes to prevent loss of suction.

The inner and outer tubes can also be folded against the side a of thecup 10a since they will pivot about the four corners of each tube to beflattened, as shown in FIG. 5. Likewise, the tubes 30 and 31 can beflattened by folding them in the opposite direction to the right, asviewed in FIG. 6, where the folded thickness is reduced slightly sincethe extension 37 is not over folded. Accordingly, the cups 10a can bestacked as described above for shipment and storage and, since the tubesor straws 30-31 are flexible or resilient, they can be easily returnedto their original shape when placed into use. This embodiment of theinvention operates in substantially the same manner as that describedabove in connection with the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-3.

Accordingly, the invention has provided an improved cup-strawarrangement which permits a plurality of the cups to be stacked for usein conventional coin-operated dispensing machines. The inner and outertubular members are flexible so that they fold against the insidesurface of the cup so that they can be easily stacked together withoutdamage or requiring much additional space. In addition, one of theembodiments provides interleaved lips which prevents the inner strawfrom being separated from the outer straw. The inner and outer tubes maybe made of paper, plastic, or other flexible or resilient materials, andthe cups may be made of these or any conventional materials. It is notnecessary that the tubes be constructed of the same material of whichthe cups are made.

While the forms of apparatus herein described constitute preferredembodiments of the invention, it is to be understood that the inventionis not limited to these precise forms of apparatus, and that changes maybe made therein without departing from the scope of the invention whichis defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A paper or plastic cup having tapered side and bottom walls,comprising an elongated outer tubular member secured to the insidesurface of said side wall and being substantially coextensive with theheight of said side wall, means defining an opening adjacent said bottomwall for the flow of liquid into said outer tubular member from the cup,said outer tubular member being flexible so that it will collapse whenflattened when two or more cups are stacked together, an inner tubularmember snugly telescoped within said outer tubular member forreciprocation therein so that said inner tubular member can extend abovethe cup, said inner tubular member also being flexible for collapse withsaid outer tubular member, said inner tubular member adapted to be movedupwardly to cooperate with said outer tubular member to provide asuction tube through which liquids can be withdrawn from the cup, saidinner and outer tubular members adapted to collapse against the sidewalls of the cup when two or more cups are stacked one within another,cooperating means on said inner and outer tubular members to limitwithdrawal of said inner tubular member from said outer tubular member,said cooperating means includes first lip means extending downwardlyfrom the upper end of said outer tubular member into the passage definedby said outer tubular member and second lip means on the lower edge ofsaid inner tubular member, and said second lip means extending outwardlyand upwardly to become interleaved with said first lip means when saidinner tubular member is moved upwardly to hold said tubular memberstogether.

2. A cup as defined in claim 1 wherein said inner and outer tubularmembers are adapted to be at least partially folded against the side ofthe cup.

3. A cup as defined in claim 2 wherein said inner and outer tubularmembers are substantially square in crosssection and are foldable aboutthe corners thereof to fold flat against the side of the cup.

4. A paper or plastic cup, comprising tapered side walls and a bottomwall, a radial outwardly extending peripheral flange on the upper edgeof said tapered side walls adapted to provide means for handling in aconventional vending machine, an elongated outer tubular member securedto the inside surface of said side wall and having its uppermost enddisposed below said upper edge, said outer tubular member having itslower end cut at an angle with the longer portion being disposedadjacent said bottom and side wall and the shorter portion disposedopposite said longer portion defining an opening adjacent said bottomwall for the flow of liquid into said outer tubular member from the cup,said outer tubular member being flexible so that it will at leastpartially collapse when two or more cups are stacked together, an innertubular member snugly telescoped within said first tubular member forreciprocation therein so that said inner tubular member can extend abovethe cup or be stored externally within said outer member so that a covercan be placed on said peripheral flange in the conventional manner, saidinner tubular member also being flexible to collapse with said outertubular member, said inner tubular member adapted to be moved upwardlyto cooperate with said outer tubular member to provide a suction tubethrough which liquids can be withdrawn from the cup, and a tab on theupper end of said inner tubular member for use in grasping said innermember to withdraw it from said outer tubular member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,213,961 1/1917 Shepard 22090.6XR 1,680,341 8/1928 Rosenthal 23933 XR 1,948,751 2/ 1934 Fenner 206- 652,194,011 3/ 1940 Davidson 229--7 2,885,134 5/1959 Cohen 2297 3,303,9852/ 1967 Prokes et a1 2129-7 FOREIGN PATENTS 375,694 6/1932 GreatBritain.

RAPHAEL H. SCHWARTZ, Primary Examiner.

